Too Hot to Sleep? Experts Share 6 Tricks That Work Even on Sweltering Summer Nights
Beat the heat with expert tips for cooler nights, deeper rest and energized mornings
We love the long, sun-drenched days of summer filled with day trips, picnics and outdoor fun. But this time of year can also have a negative effect on your sleep thanks to warmer temps, later sunsets and disrupted schedules. Here’s how to sleep in the heat and finally get the deep rest your body needs to feel energized and upbeat.
Why summer heat disrupts sleep
Research in Frontiers in Digital Health found that high temperatures increase your odds of experiencing sleep trouble by as much as 54 percent, and humidity only worsens the problem. Here are some reasons why you might feel hot and struggle to sleep in summer:
Your core temperature spikes
Your core body temperature naturally begins to cool down, which signals the brain that it’s time to sleep. Elevated room temperatures (above 68 degrees Fahrenheit) can increase your body temperature or prevent its natural drop, which makes it more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Woman's World Answers
Your body is working in overdrive
As the ambient temperature rises, the body has to work harder to try and cool itself down. This triggers a rise in your metabolic rate, which can lead to a heightened state of alertness that makes it harder to doze off.
You may experience night sweats
When you’re drenched in sweat, it can feel downright uncomfortable. The result? You’ll likely feel more restless and be prone to tossing and turning. This reduces the chances of getting continuous, restful sleep.
6 expert tips for sleeping better in hot weather
Ready to get the sweet, deep sleep your body craves, no matter how high the temperatures climb? We’ve rounded up the best study-backed tips to outsmart common summer sleep sappers.
Create an icy breeze
A study in the journal Science of the Total Environment found that the ambient temperature for older adults to achieve restful sleep is between 68 and 77 degrees. Don’t want to crank the AC? Curtains or blinds that block the heat can help keep your bedroom cool. Or you could put a bowl filled with ice directly in front of a fan pointed at your bed, which creates an icy-cool blast of air.
Chill your pillow
To lower your internal temperature fast, slip a cooling gel pad in your pillowcase. British experts say a cooling pad triggers a temperature drop that significantly increases sleep efficiency (a measure of time spent sleeping versus being awake in bed) within four weeks. In fact, they found that sleep improved nearly twice as much in women who slept with cooling pillow pads compared to those who didn’t use the inserts. Tip: For a longer-lasting chill, pop the cooling pad in the fridge before bed. One to try: Aineeba Chill Pillow Cooling Pad Mat.
Sip an iced cherry spritzer
Tart cherry juice is so refreshing when mixed with seltzer and ice. In a study conducted at Louisiana University, people who drank two glasses of tart cherry juice daily slept 84 minutes longer within two weeks. Plus, they entered restorative REM sleep 33 minutes faster than those who didn’t drink the juice. Study authors explain that tart cherries and their juice are high in sleep-promoting tryptophan. Plus, tart cherry enzymes slow the breakdown of tryptophan to extend its soothing effects.
Take a warm bath (really!)
When you keep waking up twisted in your cotton sheets on a hot night, quality sleep can feel as elusive as, well, a dream. And while you may think a cool bath before bed will bring down your temperature and usher in sleep, research reveals something counterintuitive.
“A warm bath 90 minutes before bed may help you fall asleep faster,” reveals neurologist Brandon R. Peters, MD, author of Sleep Through Insomnia. “Your temperature dips afterward, easing you into sleep.” If a toasty dip doesn’t sound inviting, you can get the benefits with a tepid foot soak, as we regulate heat through our feet, Dr. Peters says. Blood vessels in your feet connect to the entire body, and simply giving them a dunk kicks off a domino effect of cooling throughout your system. (Bonus: Warm baths are good for your heart too.)
Brew iced lemongrass tea
To sleep soundly in the summer heat, drink a glass of lemongrass iced tea before bed. Icy-cool liquid lowers your body temperature by a few degrees to help stimulate the production of melatonin. And the brew’s citrusy aroma spurs the output of a compound called adenosine that triggers drowsiness, explain nutrition experts Mira Calton, CN, and Jayson Calton, PhD, coauthors of The Micronutrient Miracle. To make a batch of the sleep-enhancing brew, steep 4 lemongrass tea bags for 5 minutes, then chill in the refrigerator. Enjoy one cup nightly to improve your sleep quality.
Top ice cream with nuts
Craving a bedtime snack? Make it a cool cup of ice cream topped with walnuts and you’ll be on your way to a good night’s sleep. Enjoying a handful of walnuts daily can add up to 58 minutes to your nightly slumber, suggests research in Mediators of Inflammation. The omega-3 fats in walnuts reset an out-of-sync body clock that can disrupt sleep, while a separate study in Nutrients found that nuts contain the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
